A Week in... The Amalfi Coast, Capri & Rome

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Le Agavi Hotel, Positano. A transfer is included from Naples Airport to Le Agavi Hotel in Positano, built into a cliff overlooking the bay. Join us for a welcome reception and dinner tonight at the hotel amidst stunning views. Stay Two Nights: Le Agavi Hotel a Positano (D)

Drive along the Amalfi Coast, one of Europe's most dramatic shorelines. See the brightly colored houses set on towering cliffs above the sea, and the houses in the town of Amalfi built between the 10th and 13th centuries. Then it's on to Ravello to visit the exquisite gardens of Villa Rufolo, the former residence of several popes, offering perhaps the best view on the coast.

Lunch today is at a family-owned restaurant overlooking the Gulf of Salerno – a favorite of locals and celebrities alike – where you'll get a real taste of Italy with delightful homemade dishes. Return to Positano, and enjoy the afternoon and evening as you please. (B/L)

Ride aboard a high-speed ferryboat to the Isle of Capri, once a second home to Europe's emperors and today a favorite destination for celebrities and jet setters. Travel by convertible taxi to one of the most celebrated hotels in Europe, set on exclusive Via Camerelle in the heart of Capri. After lunch, the rest of the day is at your leisure. Stay Two Nights: Grand Hotel Quisisana (B/L/D)

You'll really feel like a jet setter today when you explore the history and natural attractions of the Isle of Capri in a convertible car. Visit the town of Anacapri, then beautiful Villa San Michele, built in the late 19th century atop Roman palace ruins. The views of Capri and its harbor are stunning – and you'll have an opportunity to enjoy them from the water on a cruise around the island. Then spend the rest of the day as you please on Capri – enjoying the pleasures of a less-crowded island after the day-trippers have departed. (B)

Depart Capri by high-speed ferryboat this morning to Naples – capital of the Campania region and one of Italy's most important cities. Board a coach to Herculaneum for a guided tour of the archaeological site. What was once an affluent Roman resort town was buried in volcanic ash by the same eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the nearby city of Pompeii in 79 AD.

As you'll see during your visit, studies of Herculaneum's remains have enabled archaeologists to create a picture of daily life in the Roman Empire in the 1st century. Travel by high-speed train from Naples to Rome, to conclude your trip with a three-night stay at a historic hotel in the heart of the city.

Enjoy an afternoon at leisure in Rome, before joining us later this evening for a Tauck Exclusive – a once-in-a-lifetime, after-hours visit to the Vatican Museums (subject to availability and day of visit may vary), where you can view the Sistine Chapel, the Tapestries and the Candelabra and Map Galleries, at a more leisurely pace, without crowds. Stay Three Nights: Aleph Rome Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (B)

Today's city sightseeing begins with a guided walking tour of Rome's magnificent piazzas – including the Piazza di Spagna, the Piazza del Pantheon and the Piazza Navona, featuring the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), created by the 17th-century Italian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. After lunch at a local restaurant, join us for a private tour of lovely Barberini Gardens, the Pope's Gardens at Castel Gandolfo (former summer home), accompanied by a Vatican guide. Return to your hotel to spend the evening as you wish. (B/L)

Start the day in Rome's magnificent St. Peter's Square, designed in the seventeenth century by Bernini in a perfectly symmetrical, elliptical design. Then see more of this gifted sculptor and architect's extraordinary work when you go inside St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Christian basilica in the world, on a guided tour. Spend the afternoon exploring more of Rome on your own before joining us this evening for a farewell reception and dinner. (B/D)

Tours ends: Rome. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Aleph Rome Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton to Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino or Ciampino Airport in Rome. Please allow 3 hours for flight check-in. (B)